In the universe of Star Wars, there's a lot you can learn about what not to do from the mistakes made by the Emperor and Darth Vader during their ill-fated tenure as leaders of the Galactic Empire. But while it's always fun to learn from somebody else's mistakes, it's also important to have positive role models. For that, you need look no further than the Jedi Knights themselves. Here's just a few lessons the Jedi can teach you, which are also highlighted in the video above.
Let go of your fear
"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose," Yoda once said. It's good advice. One of the biggest drives behind human decision-making - much to the consternation of economists - is that we are loss averse. A variety of studies have demonstrated that people would, all things being equal, prefer to avoid a loss than to acquire a gain - even when it's irrational. (There was a nice discussion about this on NPR a couple of years ago.) For example, most people in psychological studies would rather avoid losing $10 than gain $10.
So get past your natural tendencies. Don't be afraid to lose in the face of a prospect of bigger gains.
Approach tasks with success in mind
Another bit of classic advice that Yoda gave to Luke was "Do or do not. There is no try." Of course, you can't expect to actually succeed all the time. But it's actually a good idea to approach tasks with a confident mindset. As psychologist Scott Kaufman has noted, "A bulk of research shows that when people are put in situations where they are expected to fail, their performance does plummet... When they're expected to win, their performance shoots back up."
So it's important to approach tasks with good expectations for yourself - don't set yourself up to fail. That said, you do want to beware of overconfidence as well. Balance is important here.
Be mindful of the present
Qui-Gon Jinn advised his young padawan once, "Don’t center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now where it belongs." This is vital to keep in mind for ensuring that you get the day's work done. It's easy to get distracted in our world today - by email, by the phone, by social media. It's also easy to get caught up in our plans for the future. So much so, that it's possible to start the day with a to-do list, work all day long, and finish the day with that to-do list untouched.
So it's important to ignore those distractions and focus on the tasks at hand. There are plenty of apps and systems out there to help you do that, from the Pomodoro Method to Getting Things Done. Find what works for you and stick with it.
Don't let emotions cloud your judgment
You shouldn't ignore your emotions, Vulcan-style. They are an excellent guide to your goals and what you want to get out of life. But at the same time, it's very easy for our emotions - especially our cognitive biases - to cloud our good judgement. So its important to make sure that we're acting on the best available evidence and data. You should be constantly soliciting feedback from the people around you and testing your results against objective metrics to make sure that you're heading on the right path.
Believe in your cause
Of course, sometimes data isn't enough. When you're starting out on a brand new venture or leading a team for the first time, there may not be any experience to guide you. In those cases, you'll have to listen to some advice that Obi-Wan Kenobi gave to Luke Skywalker: "Let go your conscious self and act on instinct." Trust that everything you have learned and guided you to this point has given you the strength you need to make the next leap.
And may the Force be with you.
